wiltshire_boy

From The Daily Telegraph:-

A pensioner who warned motorists of a police speed trap was convicted of wilfully obstructing a constable in the execution of his duty, banned from driving and ordered to pay £364 costs yesterday.

Stuart Harding, 71, was attempting to slow motorists down as they approached a Sunday morning car boot sale where many people were crossing the road.

Noticing that police were parked nearby with an officer using a hand-held laser speed camera, he decided that a warning stating "Speed Trap - 300 yards ahead" would be the most effective way of getting drivers to reduce their speed. But as soon as the officers noticed his placard he was cautioned for committing an offence.

Harding, a retired instrument maker, who appeared before magistrates in Aldershot, Hants, yesterday, had pleaded not guilty to the charge. He said: "I have been convicted of breaking the law because I was trying to stop others from doing so. It is totally unjust."

Harding said he had stood at the same spot, on the A325 at Farnborough, on previous Sundays warning drivers of the car boot sale, and had received a thumbs-up sign from a passing police car. But the attitude of officers changed when he warned drivers of the speed camera.

Robert Manley, prosecuting, said: "In displaying this sign the defendant was giving motorists advanced warning of a road safety camera being operated by the police 300 yards further along the road."

He said the intention was that any motorist contravening road traffic regulations by driving at excessive speed would avoid doing so having been given notice of what the police were doing.

Sgt Sarah Cashman told the court that when she cautioned Harding and confiscated the sign he told her: "I stop people speeding down here. I am only doing what I think is right".

Asked if he knew there was a speed camera ahead he said: "Yes, that is why I am doing it".

Alex Wyman, the presiding magistrate, told Harding: "The use of the sign was a deliberate and intentional act and by use of the words 'speed trap' you were assisting speeding motorists from being prosecuted."

After his conviction Harding told the magistrates he planned to appeal, adding that he needed his car to drive to church and that he was due to take his wife and friends on holiday in a camper van.

The clerk of the court pointed out to magistrates that unless the ban was suspended it would have run its course before the appeal was heard. But they ordered it should take immediate effect.

The court also confiscated Harding's sign and ordered it to be destroyed.

After the case he said that he had been told that fines collected from speeding motorists on that stretch of the road had netted £12,000 in one morning alone.

"It seems to be more about raising revenue than road safety. I'm just so angry and upset about the driving ban. It was totally uncalled for because this wasn't a motoring offence," he said.

Jiggerypokery

A sign saying "NO speed trap ahead" would be better

FrenchBoy

And so it goes on....
The police must feel so proud of themselves. Another example of them endearing themselves to the public and winning over public support.

Bit of a worry for those of us with 'garage door openers'

mike1210

basically the police are annoyed 'cos he is stopping them making money. He's slowing people down at the end of the day which is a good thing.

OllyK

Looks to me like he was trying to stop them committing an offence, are we going to charge people with aiding and abetting car theft now if they shoo chavs away when they are hanging around cars???

Spoon

He received a driving ban,wtf!!

Totally unjust.

CrisPDuk

This was in the daily express this morning, on the following page was an article about magistrates fining a junkie chav slapper £83 for killing someone in a hit and run immediately after they'd fined somebody else £400 for crashing into a tree

And the government wonder why the general public no longer have any faith in the authorities. The only service you can rely on anymore is the Fire Brigade, and they're still trying to castrate them

mike1210

I remember a travel program that Mr. Clarkson presented. They were in Holland (who I believe invented the gatso) and they would also warn people of speeding cameras and film the police with their cameras. Later on in the day they would shame them on their website. The police packed up and left when the guy did this. Anyone else remember this

Brendan Hughes

That's incredible, how can they give him a driving ban? On what grounds?

And what's the difference between this guy's action and the earlier decision by [I don't know whom] that all speed cameras should have advance notices to warn motorists, as they are safety cameras and the advance notices should stop people speeding and thus contribute to safety?

This really does beggar belief.

ajm

Disgraceful.

unclebuck

No more evidence required. We live in a POLICE STATE

Dunk

iTrader: (1)

I'll start the fighting fund....

D

Spoon

Sgt Sarah Cashman

Wouldn't you love to slap her fánny with a stick!!

wiltshire_boy

That's a different thread i think

Couldn't make it up though could you. I thought the driving ban was particularly ironic, Mr. Harding will now have even more time to stand in his field doing good work.

ariel

He may have offended the police but how can they ban him?

OllyK

Yup it is the TufTuf club or something

juan

outrageous.

Agreed - don't see how they can ban him from driving for this. LIke if someone got caught shoplifting and got a driving ban!


and this type of crap is even more outrageous. see similar (though usually slightly less fatal) cases every week ion the local rag. bl00dy p!ss take.

Why is the govt so lame?

Harry_Boy

Incredible - surely his actions were actually helping the police in their quest to reduce traffic speed.

'Cos that's what speed cameras and radar traps are all about, isn't it???

Spoon

Exactly, and in his treatment it just proves that it isn't enough to only reduce speed without collecting the fine revenue at the same time.

Proof if any it's merely a revenue generator.

ajm

Hang on a minute.... there's something missing from this thread..... ah I know, its the Scoobynet self-righteous mob. Not one "well he shouldn't have broken the law then" post?!

Is it true? Do we all agree on something?!?

Peanuts

iTrader: (15)

just adds weight to the arguement that they are after revenue.

if they were genuinely after a reduction in traffic speed they would have been delighted that a conscientius neighbour was also trying to reduce the traffic speed.

just wait until its leaked that they receive bonus based on the number of convictions secured behind the lti 20/20 *dodgyscope*.

rearrange the following words in order to construct a sentance:

really **** the fan will hit the.

I am genuinely behind the boys in blue and believe they do an excellent (thankless) job, however, it gets my goat when they cant be bothered to attend to an incident in a nearby street, yet there are four who will man a mobile trap in an area that could NEVER be described as a blackspot.
I also dont think anybody would disagree with placing cameras outside of schools and the like.

GGrr

Mice_Elf

How did he break the law by advising motorists of a speed trap? The Safety Cameras all have advanced notice...

Is it against the law now to warn if there's an accident ahead, in order to make people reduce speed?

Spoon

Can't put cameras outside schools though.

What are the poor kids going to do when they get caught buying their fix for the evening?

That would amount to an infringement on human rights.

Brendan Hughes

Those big signs in town centres that say "This area is covered by CCTV" - do you think the people who put them up should be prosecuted for obstructing the police?

That guy had a CRAP lawyer.

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

I just think the law makers will dismiss all common sense in order to ensure there's no case that could be used in future prosecutions to restirct the flow of money for speeding fines.

Scooby Roo

Freedom of speach my #rse

What law did he break, if he had gone for the peaceful protest approach I'm sure they wouldn't have gone this far. Absolutely outrageous.

ajm

I would like to have seen them proving that he had actually obstructed the officer. In order to do so they would surely have to PROVE that some of the cars going past had been speeding before being warned. There is no way they could possibly know that for sure, so they must have assumed it was the case.

So how's this for a precedent: They no longer need cameras as legally it can be assumed you are speeding!

Danbo

The penalty does seem harsh. Shame things like this are happening when public opinion of speed enforcement etc is so low.

moomin

Absolute fecking disgrace!

Well if you are not allowed to make your own sign one of these should do -ABD